


Honey Dipped Dragonfly

by Shujinkakusama, SmugLemon



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Historical Inaccuracy, Honeymoon, Love Confessions, Past Pearl/Rose Quartz (Steven Universe), Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Roleplay Logs, Tags May Change, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-05-20 08:41:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14891285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shujinkakusama/pseuds/Shujinkakusama, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmugLemon/pseuds/SmugLemon
Summary: Once Ruby and Sapphire are reunited, it's off to the honeymoon suite in Empire City! Only Garnet isn't unfusing again anytime soon, and it would be a waste to spend the night alone. Fortunately, without any reason to keep more secrets, and no one expecting either of them back in Beach City, it's a good excuse to get Pearl alone. // RP log, post-Rupphire wedding, more tags later.





	1. Chapter 1

The tires of Greg’s Dondai hummed as they met the smooth pavement of the expressway. The street lamps illuminated Pearl and Garnet’s faces every so many yards, the two of them the only ones in the vehicle. Every so often, there was a rushing sound as another car passed by, but luckily traffic was scarce. It made for a rather well-earned couple of hours of peace.

 

Garnet had her eyes focused on the road ahead— not the winding road of possible futures she often pictured in her mind but the actual reality in front of her. She had already made her decision as to which future would be unfolding that night.

 

Other than the low volume of the radio and the noise from outside the car, it had been a fairly quiet trip to Empire City. It wasn’t unusual for Garnet not to say much if anything. And after the whirlwind of chaos and excitement that had occurred— from Ruby and Sapphire splitting apart to their surprise nuptials— it wasn’t surprising that she would be lost in deep internal conversation.

 

What the conversation was about, however, was quite surprising. Garnet suspected Pearl would have been shocked to know what was going through Garnet’s head at the time.

 

They were nearing the outskirts of the city now and would arrive at their destination any moment. Garnet knew she had to make herself clear before she lost the nerve to. Because despite her confidence and strength, there was a line she was about to cross that filled her gut with nervous excitement.

 

“Thanks for driving me all this way, Pearl,” she started with.

 

For much of the ride, Pearl had been gnawing the inside of her cheek, trying to find the strength to speak to Garnet and coming up short. The freedom to say what she pleased didn’t mean it came easily. There was so much unsaid, and while Garnet likely could piece together the bulk of it from her components’ memories, it seemed inappropriate to expect it of her. 

 

But it seemed equally inappropriate to talk about it now. Tonight was meant for Garnet--or for Ruby and Sapphire separately--to celebrate her existence, to have a well-deserved respite after several long days apart. 

 

Pearl kept glancing over at her when the road was sufficiently devoid of oncoming vehicles, relieved and awed by her best friend’s beauty. She was still wearing an amalgam of the tuxedo and dress that Sapphire and Ruby had worn, respectively, and Pearl knew that come morning, she would likely be back in her full uniform.

 

There wasn’t time for the traditional week long honeymoon that humans often indulged in, and Pearl was both saddened and relieved by that. She didn’t think she could stand Garnet being gone another week. 

 

“Ah? Of course, Garnet,” Pearl said, startled out of her reprieve by Garnet’s voice. She gripped the wheel more tightly without thinking, swallowing nerves that she knew better than to dwell on. “Greg certainly can’t make the trip after that ‘punch’ Amethyst gave him. And besides, I always enjoy being with you.”

 

“That punch wasn’t too bad,” Garnet replied, a smile creeping onto her lips as she thought about the party. She’d only had half a glass, at Amethyst’s insistence that it was a ‘necessary part of the celebration’. It wasn’t nearly enough to affect her the way it had Greg (and truthfully she’d never had enough to know if it  _ could _ affect her at all) but the sharp taste on her tongue had been pleasant.

 

“I don’t think you’re the one who provided that, but I know you and Steven put a lot of effort into making it a special day for Ruby and Sapphire.”

 

She glanced down at her palms, at the two Gems that felt so right together. 

 

“And for me,” she added, closing her fingers over the Gems.

 

“Frankly, I’m not sure how Amethyst got the ingredients, and I’m afraid to ask,” Pearl teased, chewing the side of her cheek in thought, before adding; “You know I would do anything for you, Garnet. This is long overdue.”

 

“It is,” she agreed, watching the city grow denser in front of them, watching the illuminated buildings rise above their heads. They were a far way from Beach City now, entering what felt like a whole different world from the sleepy town Garnet had learned to call home.

 

“I’m glad we get to spend this time together,” she said. And as she spoke, she laid a gentle hand on Pearl’s thigh, trying to stay calm despite how rapidly her heart was beating.

 

Pearl jolted, just a little, but it was mostly luck that she didn't swerve off road. Wide blue eyes darted down to her thigh, to Garnet's hand against fabric that suddenly felt unwelcome. She flushed, glancing back at the fusion briefly, then trained her gaze on the road. "It's nice being just us," she said, "I... You know that I enjoy being with Ruby and Sapphire individually, of course, but when it's only you and me... it's nice."

 

“Couldn’t agree more,” Garnet replied, thanking the stars her voice came out evenly. She liked to keep up her cool and collected appearance, even when she was drifting into something new.

 

Not that flirting with Pearl was necessarily  _ new _ . No, that was something they’d been doing for thousands of years. A little give and take, when Pearl wasn’t completely preoccupied with thoughts of Rose. Well, Garnet didn’t want to think about Rose but she most definitely was thinking about Pearl. And now with that behind them, maybe things could finally progress. Maybe they could finally move past casual flirting and small touches.

 

The concept of a honeymoon had been meaningless to her until Greg explained it. He said it was time for a newlywed couple to spend time together, and that it was typically synonymous with…

 

Well, with having lots of sex, if a couple liked that sort of thing. Garnet had hid her blush well and changed the subject under the guise that she didn’t need any more of an explanation.

 

When Pearl told her she had planned Garnet a honeymoon, Garnet knew immediately she didn’t want to spend it alone. She only hoped Pearl felt the same way.

 

Garnet felt electrified with her hand on Pearl. She wanted to let it roam, but she wasn’t about to distract Pearl anymore as she found her way to the hotel. Besides, there would be time for that soon, if Pearl agreed. She simply let it rest against Pearl’s slacks as she contemplated what to say next.

 

“We can spend the whole night together,” she said at last. “If you want.”

 

“Isn’t it…” Pearl started, faltering a little, because she did want. She wanted so badly. “I wouldn’t want to impose, Garnet, not on your honeymoon. Don’t Ruby and Sapphire want to…”

 

Oh, she shouldn’t have even thought of that. It wasn’t appropriate. Moreover, it wasn’t that she wanted to be part of what they had, exactly, and thinking on that--thinking about the how, the why, the burning  _ want _ she harbored for Garnet was something for another time. She absently pushed her knees together as she drove. 

 

“That’s not--that is, of course I would… like to spend the night with you, Garnet. I can’t think of many other ways I would like to spend my time. Especially when we’ve finally got a respite from… everything.”

 

“Ruby and Sapphire want to stick together right now,” Garnet replied. “They’ve been split up long enough.”

 

And that was true. There was time for Ruby and Sapphire to take little breaks later to catch up on love making—they preferred it that way. For now, Garnet felt whole. And she felt a burning desire to share that wholeness with Pearl.

 

“I want you to join me tonight. I want to spend my honeymoon with you, Pearl,” she said, her cheeks burning visibly now. She wasn’t leaving any room for doubt; Pearl surely knew what the word implied now too.

 

She certainly did. Pearl felt her breath catch in her throat as her hands faltered on the steering wheel, and she tried not to splutter, tried to ignore the heat that crept into her own face. 

 

This time, for the first time in many years, Pearl’s breath hitched, not because of an order never to speak, but from her own, genuine, nervousness. “I… I need to find the valet parking,” she stammered, casting a glance Garnet’s way as she turned down the hotel strip. “But I… you’re absolutely sure? Even after…” she trailed off, and the lump in her throat was hard to swallow. She glanced askance instead. “Even after all those secrets and lies?”

 

Garnet gave Pearl’s leg a squeeze before bringing her hand back to herself to give Pearl a better chance at focusing on finding the proper place to pull over. The quicker she did, after all, the quicker they could get to their room. And that thought alone was exciting Garnet now that she’d properly admitted what she was hoping would happen in said room.

 

“Yes,” she said, and there was an audible breathlessness in her voice. “It wasn’t your fault, Pearl. After all the things you said to Ruby and Sapphire, after Steven helped explained it all... We can put this behind us. And I think you and I are closer now than we’ve ever been before.”

 

‘Maybe this was all for the best went’ unsaid. It was refreshing to have everything out in the open now.

 

“I want to be close. Now more than ever.”

 

The color in Pearl’s cheeks burned, vivid and bright and impossible to miss in the semi-darkness, and she nodded vaguely. “I do too,” she affirmed, “I… especially now that I can be honest about it. I couldn’t stand you not knowing.”

 

That felt almost like a condemnation of Rose, and Pearl almost panicked at the thought. She turned her eyes back to the road, and was fortunate enough not to miss where they needed to pull in. “But, ah… I think you’re right. That we’re closer now than ever. This may have been overdue, too.”

 

“Maybe… the timing has always been a little off,” Garnet said, anxious for the car to be parked. Even if the least likely possibility came true and she and Pearl didn’t end up doing anything intimate that night, Garnet was eager not to be stuck in the car any longer. 

 

“It just always seemed like we weren’t able to sync up properly,” she confessed. “But now, things can be different.”

 

Pearl parked without another word, her thoughts circling inward. Things  _ could _ be different now. She could be honest with Garnet, and they could be open, and sync up in ways that even fusion didn’t allow.

 

Color pooled in her cheeks, and she drew the Dondai into the valet area, eager to hand over the keys. She fumbled a little at removing them, and then, before she could lose her nerve, reached  across to give Garnet’s hand a gentle squeeze.

 

“I think I’m ready for different,” she admitted, managing a smile, before one of the many well-dressed hotel staff stole her attention, asking about reservations and if they needed to unpack anything. This, at least, was information she already knew how to relay; she’d seen Greg do it, and it hadn’t interested her terribly, but she  _ understood _ it. Checking into the hotel was quick and easy, and it was clear that Steven had called ahead to describe the guests in attendance. 

 

It seemed the boy had been expecting Pearl to stay the night, too. 

 

Garnet was silent as they entered the hotel and got everything sorted. She let Pearl take care of it; she was much better at talking to humans. But any anxiety Garnet suffered from being around too many strangers melted away as they slid the keycard into the door of the room and found themselves alone in what the man at the desk had called the “newlywed suite”. Garnet couldn’t help but chuckle at the length they’d gone to decorate it for her. She didn’t think regular hotel rooms came with red and blue petals sprinkled around the bed in the shape of a heart, or a fancy bottle of something in a bowl of ice, or towels folded to look like a pair of swans. Her last stay in a room had been with Greg and Steven in Keystone and that was a far, far different experience than the one she was walking into. She stepped closer to the bed, picking up a ‘swan’ and inspecting it.

 

“I have to say, it is quite romantic.”

 

Pearl felt color flood her cheeks at the additions to her requests--it was silly, but she felt woefully inadequate, walking into a gorgeous, lavish, abundantly romantic room. They had been careful to request that the petals not be rose petals, and that the ambient scent was neither hibiscus nor rose-scented, but Pearl wasn’t entirely sure that  _ strawberry _ was a better solution. Not that she had room to complain.

 

“I hoped it would be,” Pearl said, fidgeting somewhat uncertainly where she stood, weaving her fingers together. “Steven made--most of the requests. I wasn’t certain what would be presumptuous.” And Amethyst had been nigh determined to request something obscene along the way. “It was--important, to me, to… to get to celebrate you properly. I’m not sure that makes sense.”

 

Garnet’s gaze settled on her best friend, standing there in the doorway. She took in the sight of her—her beautiful blue eyes, the little curls of hair that brushed against her cheeks, her beautiful long legs... And her looks were just the wonderful addition on top of the other qualities she possessed. Pearl was full of such dedication and love, and this whole ceremony had only proved that more.

 

“It makes perfect sense,” she replied, dropping the towel down without caring where it landed. She stepped closer to Pearl, putting a hand out to close the door behind her and loosely pinning the other Gem against it. There were inches between them. Garnet could feel the warmth radiating off of Pearl and yearned to be even closer to her.

 

It had been some time since Garnet had pinned her like this--and even longer since it had been in a private setting, somewhere Pearl could afford to melt at close quarters, with her cheeks ablaze and her eyes trained on Garnet’s visor.

 

“May I?” she asked uncertainly, managing to detangle her hands from one another to instead reach up for Garnet’s visor, thumbs just barely brushing her cheeks. And oh, it was delightful to feel heat there; Garnet’s usual current was almost palpable on the air, and Pearl wanted to fall into her embrace and never come back out.

 

“Yes,” Garnet whispered, wanting this to be just the first step in bearing herself completely to Pearl. There were no more unnecessary secrets between them, no more built up tension, no more invisible walls to break down. She wanted there to be no gap at all between them now.

 

So, daringly, she added,

 

“Whatever you want tonight, Pearl.”

 

Pearl nearly dropped Garnet’s visor, and she privately cursed the nervous tremor in her fingers. “I—that’s a very open offer,” she managed, glancing down at the visor before peering up at Garnet. “I... there are lots of things I can think of, but I’m not... sure I’ve yet earned them.”

 

With her face fully exposed, Pearl could watch as Garnet’s eyebrow rose inquisitively. She could see, unhindered, the way her eyes drifted to Pearl’s mouth, and then back up to meet her gaze. 

 

How could Pearl think she didn’t deserve everything she wanted? 

 

“You only have to be open with me,” she assured her. “Tell me what you want. Whatever it is...”

 

With one hand still pinning Pearl against the door, she lifted the other to settle on Pearl’s shoulder.

 

“Unless...” 

 

Garnet’s face was growing darker with blush, and she was sure Pearl would see the almost embarrassed way she glanced at the floor before locking her eyes with her once again.

 

“You want me to take control now.”

 

Oh! Pearl would like that so very much, and she carefully folded Garnet’s glasses in hand, but she wasn’t sure that she could put them aside. Not without risking her very precarious, delightful position, and she settled for nodding.

 

“I’m not--trying to avoid saying anything, not deliberately,” she said in a rush, “It’s just, there’s been so much, Garnet, that I couldn’t say for so long, and I  _ wanted _ to, and now we’re… here, like this, and I don’t know where to start.”

 

Garnet let the glasses fizzle away before gently cupping Pearl’s cheek.

 

“We can take things slower if you want,” she said earnestly, despite that being the last thing she wanted to do. She was so ready to dive right into this, to throw any and all caution aside. But for Pearl, she would wait however long it took.

 

“I know where I want to start,” she said. “I know what I want to do with you tonight. But I won’t even think of doing anything unless I know you want it too.”

 

Blue eyes went almost impossibly wide at that, and Pearl faltered, just slightly, before slipping her arms around Garnet’s waist. “Garnet, I can’t imagine saying no to you,” she insisted, earnest, if a little flustered. “I--I  _ love _ you. I just… I can  _ say _ it now. And I don’t have to feel guilty that there were other things I couldn’t say, that might make it… seem less sincere.”

 

On a whim that Pearl didn’t know she could have made the move on before, she leaned up, pressing a chaste kiss to Garnet’s lips, soft and pliant and welcoming in all the ways she had ever hoped.

 

“I wanted to tell you,” Pearl said, drawing away to meet Garnet’s tri-colored gaze, keeping her hands locked around her best friend’s waist. “I just couldn’t, and I couldn’t ask Rose to change that, and I don’t even know that she would--But there were so many times I wanted to try. I never wanted you in the dark.”

 

Garnet was taken aback by the kiss. It was over too quickly for her liking, but the giant grin that spread across her face told clearly how she had felt about it. It was so unexpected, so sweet, so undeniably  _ Pearl _ . 

 

“Shh,” she said gently as she wrapped her arms around Pearl properly. “I understand, Pearl. I wish I could have known sooner, but it isn’t your fault. We can look to the future now. Together.”

 

She tilted her face forward, closing her eyes and touching the very top of her forehead to Pearl’s.

 

“I love you too, Pearl.”

But not her fault made it Rose’s--and trying to come to grips with that was almost impossible to process, harder by far than accepting that Garnet could love her knowing everything she did now. Pearl’s grip on Garnet’s waist tightened a little, with some uncertainty, before she dared to run her hands along Garnet’s midsection, to the bottom hem of her jacket. 

 

“I’ve always loved you,” Pearl said softly, closing her eyes to enjoy their closeness, to enjoy that they really were alone like this--and maybe, a little, to avoid getting too far ahead of herself, thinking of what would come of tonight. 

 

Tonight, Pearl knew, she wanted to unwrap Garnet--it was a silly urge, something that made relatively little sense, given that they so rarely wore actual clothing. Deft fingers slipped under her jacket and found the hooks behind her cumberbundt, but she wasn’t sure yet if she should or could--and asking lodged her heart into her throat when she tired. 

 

“We shouldn’t ruin your wedding clothes,” she managed, because that was at least a sensible thing to say. “Ruby was so delighted about that dress. It would be a shame.”

 

“Help me take it off,” Garnet said in a husky whisper. Her body tingled even with the lightest brushes of Pearl’s fingers. She chuckled deeply.

 

“And here I thought I’d be the one getting you undressed first,” she commented, yet again delightfully surprised by Pearl’s ability to change her future predictions. 

 

“Cute as that bow tie is on you, been wanting to pull it off the entire drive here.”

 

“I think I’d be the last on Earth to stop you,” Pearl murmured, feeling heat rising in her cheeks. But she was more than happy to acquiesce; she knew how to fumble away the ties for the sash, and it didn’t take a moment’s thought to fold it neatly before slipping her hand up under the tuxedo jacket, far too short on Garnet, but easy enough to reach the zipper for the dress beneath.

 

“Eager,” Garnet said, planting a kiss on the side of Pearl’s mouth and hooking a finger into the knot of her bow tie. She pulled it apart in one swift motion, smirking as it unraveled and fluttered to the floor.

 

“So am I.”

 

“Shouldn’t we be?” Pearl asked after a moment, swallowing her nerves and tugging down Garnet’s zipper, at least midway, stopping above her hips. At close quarters, it was profoundly strange to see the stark whiteness of the dress against her darker skin, especially where tulle and lace gathered near her bosom. Garnet so often favored her components’ colors; pinks, reds, blues, sometimes purples, but the white was lovely, too.

 

Even better, on Garnet, it didn’t make Pearl think for one moment about Rose Quartz. She was happy for that, tonight. 

 

“I always wanted… it’s silly, I’m sure you remember--when Rose would buy human clothes to dress me in for sport, I wanted to dress you up instead,” she said, dusting her fingers up along Garnet’s bare shoulders, under the satin lining of her jacket. “You’re always so beautiful, Garnet.”

 

“Thank you,” she replied, letting Pearl explore. “I don’t see why we couldn’t dress up more in the future.”

 

Sometimes it was fun to put on actual clothing, and Garnet suspected it was a mutual feeling among all of Gemkind. From Peridot to Amethyst to the elite of Homeworld— everyone received a certain little thrill at decorating themselves. Although, at the moment, the thrill Garnet was experiencing was most certainly from taking it all  _ off _ instead. Even as she pondered all the ways they could dress up for one another, she was undoing the top few buttons of Pearl’s formal white shirt. She was ecstatic to see the pale blue blush under the surface of her pearlescent skin dip down to her neck. The little peek she had at her collarbone hinted that it continued even lower, and Garnet was overwhelmed with the urge to kiss every inch of Pearl she could uncover.

 

“We’re two very gorgeous Gems,” she said, letting a single finger trace a path where Pearl was newly exposed. “You’re stunning, Pearl. Every last bit of you.”

 

Pearl shivered at the contact. It was so little, such a fleeting exchange--Pearl’s hands were touching more of Garnet’s skin than the reverse--but the spark spread through her like wildfire, and she flushed even more vividly. 

 

“You’re welcome to more of me,” she murmured, and her heart trip-hammered against her ribcage like it would burst. The alabaster Gem smiled, leaned up, and kissed Garnet’s cheek once more. “I really should get your clothes sorted first, though.”

 

“Let me help, then,” Garnet said, pulling her hands away from Pearl and shrugging out of her suit jacket. She tossed that away before turning around so that Pearl had full access to the zipper on the back that she’d tugged most of the way down. Garnet glanced over her shoulder with a smile.

 

“Go on. Finish what you’ve started, Pearl,” she said.

 

“You know I have to fold that,” Pearl squawked out, but she wasn’t even sure where it had landed, and there wasn’t really time to care about that too much. She swallowed hard, reached for Garnet’s dress to remove the snap that covered part of the zipper with lace, and she tugged gently at the zipper--

 

Only to find it was stuck.

 

It made sense; no part of Ruby came close to as curvaceous as Garnet was, especially at the hips, but Pearl had to giggle at just  _ how _ stuck it had gotten.

 

“I’ll have to reach behind; it’s caught,” she said, half to herself, to fortify herself before she actually went so far as to reach between Garnet and the dress itself. The zipper fought her, a little, but Pearl was bound and determined not to let the dress tear. 

 

When it did come away, however, Pearl almost dutifully finished unzipping the gown, having been thoroughly distracted by her task. Her left hand settled at the base of Garnet’s spine, not quite forgotten, but it was impossible to be anxious or fussy about that while she was making sure the zipper kept its alignment.

 

“Fold it later,” Garnet suggested. It wasn’t as if it was in danger of anything more than wrinkling wherever it was. 

 

When the zipper was finally down all the way, Garnet felt much freer. The dress hadn’t been uncomfortable, but it had definitely been tight against her. Now to just get it all the way off.

 

Garnet let go of the dress where she was holding it against her chest, letting it begin to slip down properly.

 

Another time, Pearl might have been surprised that Garnet was wearing nothing at all underneath her wedding clothes. Pearl was an anomaly that way; she had no reason to shift underwear beneath her tuxedo, but she had done it all the same, and she knew there was no way to subtly shift something more attractive now. 

 

Conversely, Garnet was unbearably beautiful like this; Pearl gasped audibly, felt her cheeks flood with more color, and she didn’t have it in her to protest about the gown after all. 

 

“Stars, you’re beautiful,” she murmured, “I can’t get over it.”

 

Garnet stepped out and over the dress, turning so she could face Pearl fully. She had never been particularly shy about being nude, but now, completely bared to Pearl, she knew she was blushing. But she didn’t make a move to cover herself. 

 

“Then don’t get over it,” she said playfully. “Touch me, Pearl. Wherever you like. However you like.”

 

Pearl was thankful that she didn’t have Garnet’s ability to weigh futures--because while it would have provided a lovely distraction, right now, the possibilities were almost overwhelming. Wide blue eyes took in her best friend’s form, perfect and muscular, but soft in places Pearl already knew would undo her even without touching her.

 

She swallowed air, but didn’t need it, and it was all the better that she didn’t have her bowtie anymore to restrict her throat. Pearl paused, trying to find her words, then reached for Garnet’s hands and stepped around her discarded dress.

 

“Let’s sit first,” she managed, meeting Garnet’s gaze with a dazzling smile. “It’s too dark over here, I want to see you.”

 

Garnet smiled and let herself be lead towards the bed where there was a little more lighting, especially thanks to the moonlight and the city shining in through the large windows. There, Garnet almost seemed to glow as she took a seat on the edge of the mattress so that she’d match Pearl’s height a bit more evenly. 

 

She wanted to see Pearl, too. She wanted to do so many things... but she’d give Pearl a chance first. Let her guide the flow of their dance tonight.

 

“You can turn on a light, if you’d like,” she suggested before Pearl sat down. “I’m not shy.”

 

“You haven’t been shy in eons,” Pearl giggled, squeezing Garnet’s hands in hers, tugging them forward and leaning up for a kiss. “I’ll turn the bedside light on, just… in a moment.”

 

She wasn’t sure why she wanted to stall, on that front. More lighting would certainly help. But Garnet was beautiful like this, too many stories above the city for Pearl to worry at all that anyone could see her, even with the blackout curtains pulled and light filtering in.

 

“I wanted--” Pearl started, feeling heat pool in her cheeks, and looking  _ down _ just gave her a spectacular view of the most perfect breasts she’d ever seen in her life, which didn’t help her get her wits together in any way. Cheeks stained blue all over again, she looked up at her best friend, swallowed her nerves, and went resolutely forward. “I… a long time ago, I bought you something, and I… didn’t know when it would ever be appropriate to give it to you. But I think I’d like to now.”

 

Pearl was mostly right. There were times Garnet had been very shy in the past decade, but she hid it well. The dark glasses and her tendency to be a woman of few words helped in that regard.

 

“Go on,” she encouraged Pearl. “I’d love to see it.”

 

Retrieving anything out of her Gem required letting go of Garnet’s hands, and Pearl was somewhat reluctant to do so. She gripped her fingers tightly, then withdrew, closing her eyes to look inward for the present.

 

She hadn’t forgotten about it, but it was very deeply buried, as so many things were from over a century ago. Still, it was easy to summon, and still wrapped in an aging velvet bag, tied with gold chord, and it fit easily in the palm of her hand.

 

Pearl’s fingers were shaking a little as she untied the knot, too tight and too old; she marveled silently at the fact that it still held at all.

 

“Ah… you may remember the designer René Lalique. Rose knew him, around the turn of the century, during the… well, she knew him before that, but during the art nouveau period, before he moved away from working with metals,” she said, fumbling with her words. The knot came free, and Pearl closed her fingers over the satchel before its contents could spill out. “But there was, ah… a ring he worked on. He made many rings! But, er…” she reached for Garnet’s hand again, pressing the little bag into her palm. “I… had the means, at the time, to buy one of his early pieces. The dragonfly made me think of… of us, because of Sardonyx.”

 

Garnet held her breath as she unwrapped the ring from the little velvet bag. With the utmost care, she slid the ring onto her finger and inspected it carefully, a smile on her face the entire time. She turned it over, watched the way the little stones glimmered in the dim light. The dragonfly itself was beautifully crafted, looping around her finger as if giving it a hug. She traced another finger of the gold body of the little insect, then looked up at Pearl with an almost watery gaze, her eyes sparkling just like the gift.

 

“Whenever we fuse, I get these flying around in my stomach,” she confessed, referring to the dragonfly. “I guess it’s the excitement. Knowing we’re going to fuse. I love being Sardonyx with you.”

 

Her voice nearly cracked, she was so overwhelmed with emotion. 

 

“And then when we finally come together they just… burst out.”

 

She lifted a hand to cup Pearl’s cheek.

 

“It’s perfect, Pearl,” she said, leaning in to press a kiss to her lips. 

 

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

 

Pearl nearly cried, a cumulation of nerves and a century’s uncertainty about whether Garnet would like the gift at all coming together, but Garnet kissed her and Pearl was sure her form would burst. 

 

“I do too,” she whispered, reaching for Garnet’s face to pull her in for another kiss, soft and lingering, but chaste. “I love every second we’re together, fused or not--I love being Sardonyx with you, but I… I love this, too. Getting to see you. All of you.”

 

Garnet giggled, letting their lips meet several times, just short sweet little kisses. 

 

“I heard something once... about humans showing up to parties overdressed,” she said coyly. “I think you’d fit that description right now. All I’m wearing is this gorgeous ring.”

 

She flashed the jewelry to Pearl, so proud of it, so grateful that Pearl had held onto something so dear for so long just to present it to her at the best time.

 

The alabaster Gem smiled brilliantly, and leaned backwards, reaching her arms above her head. “I think it’s your turn to take care of that,” she teased, “I already worked hard.”

 

Garnet’s eyes widened, as if asking a question that couldn’t or wouldn’t come out in words. She seemed to hesitate just slightly before leaning forward and helping to pull Pearl’s tuxedo jacket off of her.

 

“I’m happy to take care of this,” she said, “as long as you’re certain you’re ready.”

 

They could wait, Garnet thought. They could put this off if Pearl wanted that. They had already confessed that they loved one another; this was just another way to express that. A more physical, less connecting way than fusion, but still incredibly intimate nonetheless. And an expression of love that Garnet was eager to discover with Pearl.

 

Garnet’s hesitation was surprising. Pearl regarded her with wide blue eyes, helped the fusion detangle her arms from the jacket, and she leaned forward to press a reassuring kiss to Garnet’s temple.

 

“I’m not going to leave you in the lurch like that,” Pearl murmured, “I promise I’m sure.”

 

“You can always change your mind,” Garnet reminded her, grinning cheekily as she folded the jacket this time (albeit sloppily)—a nod to Pearl’s usual tendencies.

 

Garnet would never say it out loud, but she didn’t want to be like Rose. Rose who took and demanded and did as she pleased and...

 

Now wasn’t the time for thinking of her. 

 

Garnet set aside the jacket and looked into Pearl’s eyes again.

 

“Now. I’ve been itching to pull those buttons apart all night.”

 

She dove forward with nimble fingers and started popping each of the buttons on Pearl’s blouse with quick precision, careful enough not to break them but working hurriedly to reveal the beautiful body Pearl so often hid.

 

Pearl sorely wished she’d had the forethought to wear something that wasn’t horribly plain underneath her tuxedo, but there wasn’t much time to worry about that with Garnet’s fingers making such quick work of her shirt.

 

“I—ah... I’m sure I would’ve had second thoughts by now if I’d have them at all,” she stammered, but she did catch Garnet’s hands before she could move on to her fitted slacks. “But first—I... before I forget to ask?”

 

Garnet stopped as soon as she felt Pearl’s fingers wrapping around her hands, ignoring for now the zipper she had her eyes on.

 

She met Pearl’s gaze and blinked inquisitively. 

 

“You can ask me anything,” she reassured her.

 

“I’m a bit tumbled, it’s not in the order I imagined,” Pearl admitted, swallowing her nerves audibly. “But I—would you want to... to have our own wedding, too?”

 

Garnet had expected Pearl to ask the question eventually. Now was as likely a time as ever, she supposed.

 

“It  _ was _ quite fun,” she replied, grinning. “And it would mean we’d get to have another honeymoon.” She was teasing her. She knew Pearl didn’t want to have a wedding just for the sake of another party and an excuse to steal away together. She wanted exactly what Garnet did— a symbolic way to show everyone their love like Ruby and Sapphire had.

 

“I would,” she answered. “I’d like that very much, Pearl.”

 

A retort that Greg’s bank account might not like it as much tried and failed to reach Pearl’s lips before she let out a delighted squeal, throwing her arms around Garnet’s bare shoulders and hugging her tightly. It was absolutely absurd to think there was any chance she would say no  _ now _ , not like this, but doubt came so naturally to Pearl that it was impossible not to worry.

 

“Lalique scolded me when I asked to buy it,” she said, pulling back with a brighter grin than she’d sported in weeks. “He told me it should be my fiance buying it for me. I’m not sure how he got that idea.”

 

“Humans,” Garnet said, hugging Pearl around her waist. “They have it in their heads a certain way and can’t seem to see any other possibilities.”

 

She gave Pearl a playful little wink.

 

“We can make our own rules, though. We have been for the past few thousand years. No reason to stop now.”

 

Perhaps somewhat greedily, Garnet tilted forward and started kissing Pearl’s neck, nibbling softly as she went.

 

Pearl couldn’t help the delighted coo that escaped her lips, and she craned her neck back, all but melting in her partner’s arms. They certainly  _ could _ make their own rules, and that was a delightfully naughty notion to think on, even as Pearl tugged Garnet closer and leaned back toward the bedsheets. 

 

“Do… do you have any rules for tonight?” she asked breathlessly, feeling her flush creep down her sternum. 

 

Garnet was all too happy to pin Pearl’s back to the mattress and take the opportunity to nip playfully at her collarbone before she replied.

 

“None,” came out of her in a breathless whisper. She propped herself up on one elbow to get another proper look at Pearl. And was she ever a sight. Hair slightly ruffled, shirt unbuttoned and completely out of place, a lovely current of blue spreading over her already beautiful body.

 

“I take that back,” she said. “I can think of one rule I’d like to have.”

 

Her free hand slid over warm, soft skin and cupped a modest breast.

 

“I don’t want to stop until you’re satisfied,” she said, thinking of all the ways she wanted to give Pearl that pleasure.

 

“And I mean  _ truly _ satisfied,” she clarified, squeezing gently to add emphasis.

 

“ _ Ah _ !” Pearl squeaked, and she tried to stifle the sound with a hand, even though it was too late to save herself the embarrassment. Garnet’s touch was unlike Rose’s in every way she could have ever hoped or dreamed, even if she’d barely dared to think on that. Pearl did relent, though, phasing away the meager tank top and shorts she still wore, eager to let Garnet have at any part of her she desired.

 

“And--and you, too,” she managed, brushing a stray curl from Garnet’s forehead. “I want you to be completely satisfied.”

 

“You won’t have any trouble on that front,” Garnet assured her. She was already unbelievably aroused and they’d barely just begun. She took a moment to admire Pearl’s now-bare breasts. She slid a thumb over one of the little nubs poking out so invitingly. 

 

“Gorgeous,” she murmured lovingly. “Just absolutely gorgeous.”

 

She captured Pearl’s lips with her own hungrily, wanting to leave behind the chaste kisses for something deeper and more passionate.

 

Still half-tangled in her dress shirt, Pearl was more than happy to let Garnet take control, meeting her kiss with equal gusto and tangling long fingers into Garnet’s hair at the base of her neck. 

 

Pearl pulled back with a gasp as Garnet’s fingernail just barely scraped her nipple, and it was just as well, because she’d thoroughly forgotten to breathe. Kissing Garnet was better than breathing, she thought distantly, leaning back in to kiss the edge of Garnet’s jaw.

 

“I need to get out of these slacks,” she said, “I don’t want to ruin them.”

 

Garnet moaned out loud as Pearl’s lips met her heated skin. The comment wasn’t necessarily meant to come out as sexy on Pearl’s end, but it managed to send a strong pang of desire through Garnet, straight to her toes. She wasted no time straddling Pearl and switching gears to fumble with the button of her trousers.

 

“Need them off,” she said, successfully popping the button and undoing the zip. “Stars, Pearl, I need to see you. Need to taste...” her words stalled on her tongue as she helped slip the slacks downward. Words? Breathing? What were they? Pearl took all the air right out of Garnet.

 

The urgency in her best friend’s voice was delightful, made doubly so by the view of Garnet straddling her midsection, blessedly naked and so much more confident in her body than Pearl ever thought she could be. Pearl canted her hips upward to let Garnet slip her slacks down more easily, putting much of her weight on her elbows.

 

“Are you already wet?” Pearl teased, because that was abundantly obvious even in the low light. Dampness shone between Garnet’s thighs like starlight, and the smaller Gem found that she couldn’t disagree with Garnet’s urge to taste. Impulsively, Pearl reached out to trail her fingertips down Garnet’s midsection, veering down toward her pelvis, but stopping short.

 

It wasn’t hesitation. Not quite. But there were so  _ many _ things Pearl wanted to do with Garnet--and Pearl wasn’t entirely accustomed to wanting to explore everything at once.

 

“Did you… want a taste first?”   
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The honeymoon suite gets the beginnings of long, long overdue lovemaking.

Garnet clasped a hand over her mouth and glanced away as her face burned with embarrassment. She was wet. Soaked. Stars, she was so ready to feel Pearl’s touch. Though such a large part of what had turned her on so much was the thought of getting to give Pearl her love.

 

“Yes,” she said, getting some control of her nerves and looking at Pearl again.

 

“I’ve been wanting to all night,” she confessed. Longer than that, really, but it wasn’t important to say. Not now. Garnet let out a shaky breath and smiled down at her partner. She slipped her fingers through Pearl’s pink hair and kissed her. First on her lips, and then lower and lower. She traced a path with her mouth, paying special attention to Pearl’s hips and thighs, delightedly nipping and kissing as she went.

 

If the world were to come crashing to a halt then and there, Pearl didn’t think she could have the presence of mind to regret any of her countless mistakes over the eons--not when Garnet kissed her, and not when her kisses started to wander.

 

It felt like fusion--Pearl half expected that she would lose her form, and it took an absurd amount of effort not to, when she was so much more accustomed to falling into Garnet and losing herself to the magic that was uniquely Sardonyx. But now wasn’t the time for fusion, and Pearl let out a reedy squeal when Garnet nipped her, jolting her mind back to a delightful reality she’d barely dared to dream of.

 

“Me too,” Pearl squeaked out, and it was with a little uncertainty that she brushed Garnet’s curls away from her third eye, deprived of her prize for the moment, but not unhappy about it. “I--stars, Garnet, it feels like I could fly.”

 

Garnet got comfortable, laying in between Pearl’s thighs and smiling up at her. She moved her hands to the smaller Gem’s hips, holding her down with a little pressure.

 

“There. Now we don’t have to worry about you floating off. I’ll keep you grounded,” Garnet said, giving Pearl another teasing kiss to the inside of her thigh.

 

“I want you to be here and present for everything I do to you tonight, Pearl,” the fusion purred. “I want you to feel it. Enjoy it.”

 

The tingle of magic from Garnet’s Gems flowed clear through her, and Pearl felt her stomach twist in delight. “Keep me grounded?” Pearl gasped, realizing that Garnet really could do that with just her hands, because she knew full well that she wasn’t exerting much effort to pin her hips, and Pearl couldn’t budge.

 

She settled instead for crossing her ankles behind Garnet’s back, curling forward until she was just barely arched over Garnet’s head between her legs. “I’ll hold on tight.”

 

“Good,” Garnet said. “That gives me at least one free hand.”

 

To emphasize that point, Garnet trailed her blunt fingernails downward, over the soft skin of Pearl’s thigh. She dipped her fingers between Pearl’s legs, spreading her apart. Her breath caught in her throat.

 

“Pearl...” she breathed in awe. “Beautiful. You’re absolutely beautiful.”

 

She couldn’t wait any longer. Centuries had already been wasted.

 

Garnet brought her lips forward and ran her tongue from bottom to top in one smooth but slow motion, moaning gratefully as she did so.

 

The result was instantaneous, and Pearl felt color flood her face as she let out a reedy moan against Garnet’s shoulder. Pearl worried, belatedly, about whether Garnet would like her taste, or if she had much of any at all--she hadn’t eaten in months, and while she still did drink tea, it had been a while.

 

But Garnet wasn’t complaining, at least not yet, and when Pearl tried to find words, it instead came out in a jumbled gasp into Garnet’s skin.

 

Garnet knew ahead of time that she’d be absolutely hooked on pleasuring Pearl, but actually experiencing it... oh, she couldn’t think of anything better than this, short of fusion. Pearl had a unique taste, almost like fresh water and a tinge of something indescribable but certainly sweet. She let her tongue make several long, slow sweeps against her, ending it with a kiss. She pulled her lips away just slightly, using her fingers to caress Pearl in lieu of her mouth.

 

“So lovely,” Garnet continued to compliment her. “Keep making those sounds for me, Pearl.”

 

And with that, she was back to lavishing her with kisses and strokes of her tongue.

 

If Pearl had wanted to protest, for any reason, even in jest, she certainly couldn’t once Garnet was back between her legs. She tried to buck into the fusion’s motions, but the one hand against her hip was enough to hold her firmly in place, and that was as delightful as it was maddening.

 

“Garnet…!” she managed to squeal, scrambling for purchase even though she wasn’t going anywhere. Still, her blunt nails dug into Garnet’s shoulders, and she whimpered, pressing kisses against her spine.

 

It was hard to feel less than lovely with Garnet, impossibly beautiful and delightfully real, praising her. Pearl had long thought that she was, by comparison, gangly and bland--there were hundreds of other pearls, even if Garnet hadn’t ever met any--but Garnet couldn’t possibly think that were the case from the way she was kissing her.

 

Pearl whined, because it had been so long since anyone had touched her like this, and because somehow, Garnet made her feel like she’d never been touched properly by anyone at all. “Ah… ahh…” Pearl gasped, and it was too hard to think and breathe at the same time. Still, she never wanted this moment to end, so she tried to focus on the latter, breath coming erratically in gasps that weren’t dignified or silent.

 

Garnet groaned again, as if in response to Pearl’s beautiful gasps for air. Every sound the little Gem made was like music to her, and she wanted to hear her sing all night.

 

The Fusion pressed her own thighs tightly together, craving some sort of relief from the aching between them. She wondered about the long gap Pearl had gone through since last having a lover. She must have gotten by all this time by pleasuring herself, and Garnet couldn’t help the incredibly naughty thought and what it did to her. She was very tempted to move a hand away from Pearl’s waist and jam it between her own legs. But at the moment, Garnet was determined to give Pearl better than she’d been able to give to herself, or perhaps better than she’d ever had before, if it were possible.

 

Garnet dipped her tongue low, swept inward and then sucked rather lewdly to overwhelm Pearl’s senses. She knew she had to be getting closer to her first orgasm, but wasn’t quite sure what would be the move to put her over the edge. Garnet nearly chuckled to herself as she repeated the actions over and over—she was more than happy to experiment and find exactly what it would be.

 

There had been times, eons ago, where Pearl had cried during sex; the reasons were lost to memory, specifics that she wasn’t inclined to dredge up for the most part. Though numerous, there had only been, at best, a handful of times when she had cried purely from delight, or even from being overwhelmed--but making love to Garnet was unlike anything she’d ever felt, and from the first real application of suction, Pearl knew she would unravel in short order.

 

She came, and her Gem flashed like lightning; Pearl cried out Garnet’s name, or tried to, but her voice failed her midway, and she clamped down around her lover without meaning to with such force that she almost couldn’t untangle herself at all after.

 

Through a haze of tears and flashes of light that seemed blinding with the aftershocks of her orgasm, Pearl tried to remember how to breathe without much luck. Her heart stuttered against her ribs, faster than she thought it ever had, and she laughed despite her tears, hugging Garnet’s shoulders once more. “Stars,” she whispered, in a voice much steadier than she felt, considering that her form wanted to dissipate then and there. “Stars _above_ , I love you, Garnet.”

 

Garnet couldn’t help but feel her pride swell a bit. She’d held Pearl as she came undone, and though she’d missed seeing her expression, she’d felt the way the pleasure had shaken her to her very core. Pearl had let her give her that, and that was an unbelievably special gift.

 

So close to Pearl, she could hear her heart hammering away. She shifted their positions a bit, still holding her as she lay her down on the bed so gently. With Pearl still in the afterglow of her first orgasm of the night, Garnet was sure she wouldn’t mind. She found Pearl’s lips for a short but passionate kiss and smiled as she replied, “I love you too.”

 

One hand cupped Pearl’s back, but the other was eager, rubbing circles on her inner thigh as Garnet planned her next move. This time she wanted to see with her own eyes what sort of expression Pearl wore at the height of her pleasure.

 

“You’re incredible, Pearl,” she continued. She couldn’t hide the little smile on her lips.

 

“And you taste as wonderful as you look~”

 

There was no mistaking the fresh wash of teal that flooded Pearl’s cheeks at Garnet’s teasing; she wasn’t sure she could—or should, even—ask about that, not when Garnet’s smile stole away her breath.

 

Somehow, a twittering, breathless giggle escaped her lips instead, and she tugged Garnet forward for another kiss.

 

“You had liquor,” Pearl pointed out, even though the foreign taste on Garnet’s lips wasn’t alcohol at all. “I think you may be tipsy!”

 

Garnet happily fell into another kiss. She’d never get enough of them, not as long as she was whole, and the fact that Pearl was just as eager for them made her giddy.

 

“Could be,” she admitted with a deep little chuckle. “But I know what I’m saying. And I know what I’m doing.”

 

She inched her fingers over, brushing them over Pearl’s sex.

 

“I think you’d agree with me on that.”

 

Pearl let out a delighted squeak, high and reedy, and she wasn’t sure she would ever make a dignified sound again.

 

“Ah—we-well, yes,” she managed, meeting Garnet’s gaze with wide eyes. “But I—what about you, Garnet? Don’t you want...?”

 

“Dearly,” she said, not needing Pearl to finish her sentence.

 

“I’ve wanted you like this for so long, Pearl. I’ve thought about it quite a lot.” The blush was clear on her cheeks, giving away her own shyness. “And now that we’re here together like this, I can hardly wait.”

 

The consistent throbbing between her legs was impossible to ignore now. Her body was begging to be touched by Pearl. She was sure it was obvious.

 

“But I want to see you...” the words were lost, twisted on her tongue. It was just as embarrassing for her to say it out loud as it was for Pearl, Garnet just usually did a better job at hiding it. She was a Gem of action after all, and her fingers did the talking, punctuating the sentence for her by exploring deeper.

 

The alabaster Gem stared, pupils blown, positively mesmerized by the flush on Garnet's face, before Garnet's fingers dipped inward again, and she keened.

 

" _Ah_! B-both?" she asked hopefully, and she felt guilty and greedy for suggesting it, even if Garnet seemed to want to see her as well, and Pearl couldn't quite understand how that could be.

 

It was hard to think with Garnet's fingers inside her, and Pearl couldn't articulate quite how strangely welcome they felt. She'd been bereft of anything like this at all for so long that it hurt, and even though the brush of her fingertips inside her core sparked feelings Pearl hadn't ever thought she could experience again, she wanted to return the favor. "I-I wanna touch you, too, _Garnet_...!"

 

Garnet watched Pearl carefully, watched for signs of discomfort or hesitation as she experimented. Despite the suddenness of it all, she went slow, wanting to allow Pearl some time to process how she was feeling. This may have been their first time being intimate in this particular way, but Garnet knew her partner well. She leaned down to kiss her cheek and spoke softly.

 

“I don’t think you know how much I love hearing you say that.”

 

Even just her name on Pearl’s lips was enough to make Garnet soar.

 

“I promise you’ll get your chance,” she continued. “I just want to watch you come for me. Then you can do whatever you want.”

 

She smiled, liking the thought of Pearl having her way with her as much as she liked what she was doing now.

 

When Garnet put it like _that_ it was hard not to come on the spot; Pearl’s breath hitched, and she wound her arms around the fusion’s shoulders, pressing as close as she could. Her hips bucked, driving Garnet’s fingers in just a little deeper, and she had to bite down on the inside of her cheek.

 

“I want that,” she gasped out, and the tremble in her voice seemed to carry through her entire frame as Garnet’s fingers brushed against her sweet spot. “You, too, I want to see-- _ah_!--everything, Garnet, oh stars...”

 

Garnet grinned, sensing she’d done something particularly right to get Pearl to make /that/ sound. Having Pearl grab her close and tilt her body to take her further made Garnet experiment with hitting that spot several times in succession, going a little faster to establish a steady rhythm as she did so.

 

“I want it too,” she assured her. “I want you, Pearl. I want to be yours.”

 

Her voice was nothing but love. Well, perhaps it was fair to say there was quite a bit of lust in it too, but her adoration for Pearl was palpable in her tone alone.

 

 _I want to be yours_.

 

Strictly speaking, Pearl wasn’t built with an intrinsic ability to hold out for very long in the first place--Rose had teased her about it, eons ago--but even without Garnet’s perfect rhythm pushing her to a head, those words could easily have finished her. And the way Garnet spoke, the lilt to her deep voice, sincere and without a hint of irony, brought her over the edge with a delighted sob.

 

Pearl clung fast as the world rocked and her vision blurred, coming hard and lighting the room brighter than the sun.

 

She couldn’t find her voice, not right away. Trembling hands slipped from where she’d gripped Garnet’s shoulders hard enough to leave crescent-shaped marks where her nails had bit into her flawless skin, and she felt blindly for Garnet’s face, finding familiar cheekbones and cradling her jaw.

 

“Yours,” she managed to murmur, pressing a kiss near the base of Garnet’s lips. “It’s usually--I should be _yours_ , after that…?” Pearl wasn’t sure how sensible that sounded out loud, but she was delighted when Garnet’s beautiful face came back into focus, and she kissed her again. This time, she didn’t miss. “I want both… you for me, me for you. I don’t care if it’s greedy anymore.”

 

“It’s not greedy to love and be loved, Pearl,” Garnet said, returning the gentle kisses.

 

“It’s not greedy to want, as long as you’re honest and open about it. And now,” she smiled sweetly down at her partner, “there’s nothing but an open future ahead of us.”

 

She brushed back some of Pearl’s hair from her face, trying to keep it tidy for her despite their romping. She took the chance to admire her yet again, easily getting lost in the plethora of wonderful features Pearl possessed—her wide blue eyes, her little pink lips, her sparkling gemstone. How she could think she was doing something wrong by wanting to love her... well it was so far from the truth. And Garnet wanted to make that clear to her.

 

“Take me, Pearl,” she encouraged her, voice low and husky. “However you want. Be self-indulgent. It’s perfectly alright. I want you to.”

 

It still felt a little like greed—Garnet had been so long out of reach that Pearl scarcely believed she had her in her arms now. She felt her heart stutter against her ribs, faster than she truly thought it was meant to go, and she swallowed her nerves.

 

“Give me a moment?” She asked hopefully, pressing her Gem to Garnet’s cheek affectionately. “I’m not as resilient as you.”

 

“Of course,” Garnet replied with an amused smile. She shifted herself so she could lay against Pearl’s side, holding her close and letting her have a moment’s rest.

 

“We have all night, after all,” the Fusion pointed out. As excited as she was to continue their lovemaking, she was immensely proud that she’d gotten this reaction from Pearl. This night as a whole— from the wedding to the honeymoon— had gone so much better than she ever could have hoped for. Garnet nuzzled Pearl affectionately, feeling full of love, even more-so than she had in quite a while.

 

The nuzzling made Pearl giggle, despite herself, and she pushed herself up on one elbow to reach for the lamp. The extra light helped—somewhat—and Pearl sank back into Garnet’s side, daringly running her hands up from her best friend’s waist, skirting her ribs and shoulders.

 

“All night isn’t nearly enough,” Pearl teased, peering up between her mussed bangs. Garnet was beautiful in every way, and the warm glow of artificial light on her skin was mesmerizing.

 

“Maybe a night on Jupiter,” she conceded, “I’ve known you all this time and you still blow me away.”

 

Garnet hummed to show her appreciation for Pearl’s exploration. She closed her third eye, letting her future vision wander just a little.

 

“Oh, don’t worry,” she said, voice somehow both sultry and playful. “I see us having some very nice moments in the future. We’ll find times to steal away to a variety of places and blow each other away in a variety of ways,” she promised, not providing more detail aside from a cheeky grin.

 

“It’s not fair if you’re looking into ideas I haven’t had yet!” Pearl laughed, peppering kisses to Garnet’s cheeks and jaw as she managed to sit upright enough to climb--a bit gracelessly--on top of her best friend, straddling her midsection inexpertly.

 

She wasn’t wholly sure what she wanted to do, at least first; Pearl had long struggled with her guilt over wanting Garnet in the first place, and with the endless parade of fantasies that ran rampant if she let herself indulge in thinking about her for too long.

 

So she paused, staring down at Garnet for several long seconds and forgetting, entirely, how to breathe.

 

“I don’t even know where to start,” she admitted, feeling her cheeks burn. “I… just... Stars, Garnet, look at you!”

 

“You can start just by looking,” Garnet said. Despite the thundering of her heartbeat in her chest at the sight of Pearl finally on top of her, she managed to sound as cool as ever.

 

“Or you can start by touching,” she added, giving her bottom lip a bite, hoping to look enticing so that Pearl would be unable to resist filling her hands. To emphasize her point, her own hands found their way to Pearl’s butt and squeezed firmly at the little bit of a curve there.

 

Garnet hadn’t ever looked less than enticing to begin with, but Pearl couldn’t help squealing when her lover’s Gems pressed into her buttocks. “Garnet!” she laughed, flushed clear down to her sternum, and she did return the favor, drawing blunt nails down from Garnet’s shoulders, over the swell of her breasts.

 

“Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to?” she asked, and it felt daring, like a dirty confession she shouldn’t be sharing at all. Still, she leaned down, brushing her nose against Garnet’s with a bleary smile. “It’s never nearly enough, and I always felt so guilty, trying to catch you… even just your arm, even on accident, I’m always wanting to touch you...”

 

A shuddery gasp escaped Garnet’s lips, and she was distantly aware that she was most likely absolutely soaking the sheets beneath her with how aroused she was.

 

“Please keep talking like that,” she begged in a raspy whisper.

 

“Like what?” Pearl asked, but she wasn’t as oblivious to her effect on the fusion as she tried to sound, and the way she brushed her thumbs over Garnet’s nipples, sweeping upward and down again while she continued was telling enough. “You know already. I know I’m not very subtle. You’re always so close when we’re on the warp, and you make my hair stand on end—you can’t have missed it completely.” Pearl grinned, pressing a kiss to the corner of Garnet’s lips and rocking forward a little, rolling her breasts in her palms. “I’ve walked right into you a few times, just—that static, that zap you used to do when you were new, just to see if I could get you to do it again. And I knew better, but stars, it’s just like when we fuse. I can feel you all through me, and it’s never enough.”

 

“I wanted you just as badly,” she confessed. “It just wasn’t the right time.”

 

For a variety of reasons, but most importantly Garnet wanted to be sure. She wanted to know, without any shadow of a doubt, that Pearl wanted her for the right reasons.

 

Now she was certain.

 

“Believe me, I enjoyed those little touches. And I see us sharing a lot more of them.”

 

It would be so nice to curl up next to Pearl without worry. To grab her hand and hold it, to lace their fingers together. To experience  the familiar feeling of Pearl wrapped around her arm. It was always comforting to feel her physically there, like a tether back to reality.

 

Speaking of reality, when Pearl rolled her hands over her she couldn’t help but whimper approvingly.

 

“I just really like hearing you talk like this,” she said. “So confident. Telling me what you want. It’s,” she was breathless as she said the word, “sexy.”

 

Pearl couldn’t help laughing outright, and she leaned down to smother her giggles against Garnet’s barred throat.

 

“I’m not sexy!” She laughed, and there wasn’t any of her usual self-depreciation in her tone this time, and as if in apology for shouting so close, she pressed several quick kisses up to Garnet’s ear before dropping her voice into a conspirator’s whisper. “I just know how I feel about _you_ , that’s all. Even if it wasn’t the right time to show it before...”

 

In a rare moment, Garnet was caught off-guard. Not sexy? How could Pearl think such a thing about herself? She was laughing it off but Garnet couldn’t believe she’d said it. Pearl had no lack of sexual appeal, and Garnet had no lack of appetite. The desperate shift of her hips into the empty air was telling of that.

 

“Show me now,” Garnet nearly pleaded. “Don’t hold back, Pearl. I want to hear and feel everything you’ve kept to yourself all this time.”

 

Pearl couldn’t resist that kind of siren call, not from Garnet. Even if it was embarrassing--she could laugh her way through some confessions, but she wasn’t sure she could articulate even _most_ of how Garnet made her feel.

 

But she could show, at least a little. She could cradle the back of Garnet’s head in her hands to tip it back and leave tiny marks on her throat, little bites that she knew wouldn’t last and that she doubted she could ever have the nerve to leave on anyone else.

 

“I want to hear it too,” she murmured against the dip of Garnet’s collarbone, “Do you want to hear something completely silly?”

 

A throaty groan left Garnet as she felt teeth sink into her skin between kisses. Garnet wasn’t a fragile Gem, and Pearl had no hope of hurting her this way; the more intensity she put into her love bites, the better. The scratching of her nails, the squeeze of her thighs around her torso, all of it was wonderful. She was nearly lost to pleasure, but part of her remained focused on what Pearl was saying, hoping to catch every last word.

 

“Yes,” she said, swallowing after she spoke.

 

“I’ve been drinking the same boysenberry tea blend for over a century because of you,” Pearl whispered, and it wasn’t sensible, but she bit down, drawing color beneath the skin and soothing the bite with her tongue. “Because you had to go and get preserves on your collar in Devonshire, and I wanted so terribly to take care of it...”

 

The next sound out of Garnet was somewhere between a needy whine and a laugh.

 

“That was ages ago,” she said, not recalling the exact moment but certainly remembering their time in Devonshire. If only Pearl had made a move back then! But this was fine. It was all well worth the wait.

 

“Now you have me thinking about,” she chuckled again, embarrassed, “ah, there was that time when we were trying to capture a corrupted quartz in the Crystal Catacombs, but it got away. And we didn’t talk much on the way back because you thought I was upset that I let it go. But you’d fell into one of the pools of water and—well, that’s why it got away.”

 

Garnet cringed slightly at her younger self. So little self control.

 

“I just got so distracted. I mean, everything was clinging to you, and I just couldn’t focus at all!”

 

Pearl giggled despite herself, flushing a little at the memory as she made her way lower. “Rose told me afterwards how… transparent my uniform was,” she admitted, pausing to admire Garnet’s perfect breasts, delightfully heavy and too big for her to cup completely. She paused, then reached back for Garnet’s hand, pressing soft kisses along the inside of her wrist. “I was sure you didn’t _want_ to look. Because I’d failed, but also because of that.”

 

And because she was terribly plain, but she knew not to mention that insecurity, not when it didn’t matter anymore. She nipped at the lead tendon thoughtfully before ghosting a kiss against the flat pane of Garnet’s Gem.

 

“It was so… different, so _wild_ , knowing you,” she mused, drawing her free hand down Garnet’s torso, tracing her abs. “I didn’t know--what I could, what I couldn’t think or do, how far was inappropriate. I’d never _had_ that. That freedom to be completely lost in someone...” Pearl smiled, leaning in again for a quick kiss. “I love--seeing you, hearing you, not knowing what you’ll do, not knowing when you’ll surprise me… but you’re always there. Stars, Garnet, I look over my shoulder thinking you’re right there, and you almost always are. Whether you know I need you or not.”

 

Garnet’s toes curled when Pearl’s lips met her gemstone. Such a light touch drove her mad with want, especially paired with everything else.

 

“I--I was stealin’ glances for sure,” she confessed. “I’ve had it bad for you for a long time, Pearl. But even if it never got to this point, I wanted to be there for you.”

 

She smiled and reached one hand up to sweep through pink hair.

 

“You’re my dearest friend. And you always will be.”

 

She found her lips for a kiss.

 

“I love you, Pearl.”

 

After a brief pause, she added,

 

“And I think I need you right now more than ever.”

**Author's Note:**

> Lalique's famous dragonfly ring is not the ring featured in this fic because it's not Just Right, but he's the most prominent artist who was doing dragonflies at the time, so we're just... keeping it...


End file.
